Improvement in air-compressors



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. B. WARING. Air-Compressors.

Patented Ju|y729 rIlllllllll/111lllllllllllll/llllllll lll 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. B. WARING. Air-Compressors.

HHHHHIIIIIYILTHHIIIIUUHH IIIIIIIHIIH IH HIIHUUHUUUIIIIIHUHHUII xl WI..

Pa-tented July 29,1879.

N-FETERS. FHOT0-L|THOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D. Cv

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.,

JOHN B. WARING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF A PART OF HIS RIGHT TO CHARLES L. CHASE AND FRANCIS VINTERS, JR., OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN AIR-COMPRESSORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,965, dated July 29, 1879; application led January 2, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, J oHN B. WARING, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and usefullmprovement in Air-Compressors, of whichthe following is, a

specitication.

My invention relates to an improvement in air-compressing engines which are mainly used 1, Sheet l, of the accompanying drawings will serve as a medium for a general explanation of the main feature and object of my invention.

In this view A and A are an -inner and outer cylinder, which, when connected together by their covers, constitute what is known among engineers as an annular cylinder,77 its piston B.

having two pistonrods,passing through stuff-4 ing-boxes in one of the covers and connected to the driving-engine.

There are suitable .valves (illustrations of which it has not been deemed necessary to show in this diagram) for admitting air to and permitting it to escape from the annular space between the two cylinders.-

surface of the inner cylinder are exposed to the cooling iniiuences of running water, soas to counteract the heat generated by the co1npressing of air in the yannular space between the two cylinders. In other words, the compressed air in the said space is exposed to two cooling-surfaces instead of one, as in ordinary air-compressing cylinders.

In carrying out this main feature of my invention, however, I prefer to place a jacket round the outer cylinder and a jacket within the inner cylinder, and to cause cold water to circulate within the jackets, so that both cylinders may be constantly exposed to the cooling influences of water in motion 5 and in order that the cooling effect of the water may be enhanced, I cause it to traverse circuitous passages between each cylinder and jacket, preferring the spiral passages shown in the diagram, Fig. 2, Sheet 1, which represents an exterior view, with part of the jacket removed, 'to showa portion of the outer cylinder with jspiraI ribs cast on the same.

j There are two .distinct spiral ribs, b b', arranged like the threads of a double-threaded screw, so that when the j acket a, is fitted snugly to these ribs there will be two distinct spiral passages, e and fw.

' A stream of water entering the jacket at t lwill first traverse one spiral passagesay the passage c-to the top of the jacket, and then Vwhere the thread b is cut away will enter the channel w, and, after traversing the latter, will escape at the outlet t.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5, Sheet 2, and Fig. 6, Sheet 3, represent my invention in a more complete condition, Fig. 3 being a vertical section of the annular air-com pressin g cylinder; Fig. 4, a secftion on the line l 2, Fig. 5, a bottoni view; and

Fig. 6, a vertical section on the line?) 4, Fig. 4.

In these views the outer cylinder, A, is provided with a jacket, c, the space between the `latter and the cylinder being separated into two spiral passages by spiral ribs bpb', in the manner described above.

. In like manner the inner cylinder, A', is furnished with a jacket, af, between which two 4similar spiral passages are formed. -The exterior of the outer cylinder and inner D D are the two cylinder-covers, the former having a central stuffing-box, e, for a tubular rod, E, provided with a piston, E', which is {adapted to the secondary compressing-chamlber F, contained within the jacket a of the inner cylinder. This piston and piston-rod, as

:well as the annular piston B, are reciprocated :through the medium of a rod, Gr, which may be a continuation of the piston-rod of the driv- 'ing-engine, or may be operated from the crank of any drivingshaft.

The outer end of the tubular rod E is connected to a cross-head, H, to which are also secured the'outer ends of the two piston-rods I I of the annular piston B of the first compressing-chamber, K.

In the cross-head H are passages j' f', the first communicating in one direction with a pipe, h, which terminates near the end of the chamber M in the tubular rod E, and in the other direction with a tube, i, which passes into a iXed pipe, N, through a stuing-box, the opposite end of the said fixed pipe com municatin g through a tube, j, with the outlet-pipe t', which communicates through a tube, t, with the spiral passage y of the outer cylinder, and through a tube, j', with one of the spiral passages of the inner cylinder.

The passage f' in the cross-head forms a direct com munication between the chamber M of the tubular rod E and the tube i', which is arranged to slide in the xed pipe N', the latter communicating through a tube, j, with the inlet-pipe x, which communicates through a branch, t, with the spiral passage o, between the outer cylinder and its jacket a, and through a tube, t, with one of the spiral passages between the inner cylinder and its jacket a.

In a chamber, m, formed in the cover D is a valve, k, openin g inward to the secondary compressing-chamber F, the said chamber' communicatin g through a pipe, n, with a chamber, m', in the cover D', and this latter chamber having a valve, k', opening outward Ifrom the first compressing-chamber, K;

In the same cover D is a chambenp', having a valve, l, which opens inward to theA first compression-chamber, K, and in the cover'D is a valve, l', opening into a discharge-cham'- ber, p.

On moving the cross-head and-its'adjuncts in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 3, the valve lwill open, and by the time the piston has reached the limit of its movement in thisl direction the chamber K will have receiveda full supply' of air at the atmospheric pressure.

On reversing the movement of the crosshead the air will be compressed` by the annular piston B in the rst compressing-chamber, K, and will be forced into the valve-'chamber m', through the pipe n into'the chamber fm, and thence into the second compressing-chamber, F.

On again moving the cross-head inthe direction of the arrow the air willf be still further compressed in the secondary compressionchamber F by the pistonE, and this highlycom'pressed air will be finally forced by the said piston into the chamber p, andthenc-e to its destination. Thus, during onemovement of the cross-head a volume of air is receiving its first pressure in one chamber, and during the reverse movement the air is receiving its second pressure inthe second chamber. In the meantime water admitted at w, Fig. 6, takes its course through the tubes t, j", and t.

Tracing the course of the iirst volume of water, which enters the spiral passage between the outer cylinder and its jacket, it will traverse this passage and then return through' the other spiral passage, w, and will iinally escape' at the outlet t.

The second volume of water,passing through the tube t" enters one of the spiral passages between the inner cylinder and its jacket, and, after traversing the whole length of the same, returns through the other spiral passage, and finally escapes through the tube j yto the outlet t.

The third volume of water passes through the tube j into the fixed pipe N', thence through the tube t" and through the passage 'f' in the cross-headinto the chamber M of the tubular rod E, from which chamber it passes through the pipe h., through the passage fof the cross-head, through the tube and fixed pipe N, and finallythrough the tube j to thewoutlet t.

It will thus be seen that the air, as it is received in and is being forced fromtherst compressing-chamber, K, is exposed to two opposite cooling-surfaces, one surface being cooled by the constant flow of water throughthe spiral passages of the outer cylinder and-fthe other surface being cooled by the fl W in. contact with it of the water througl the spiral.IE

passages of the inner cylinder. l v

rIhe cooling influence ofthe water, however, is, not solely through the medium ofthe cylinders,`incontact with which the wateriilows, for' the spiral ribs themselves exertfacoolinginfluence on the.l air, las i the water.'l flowing infr intimate contact with these ribs cools thesame,

and bein gl good conductors, th'ecoolingofl th'e':`

ribs is felt by the cylindricall casin-g,uand=-is' impartedby the' latter;

rlhe volume ofv air; a's vit isradmitted'to'and is being forcedfromthe second :com pressingchamber, F, lis also cooled by opposite coolingsurfaces-namely,` that: of the' jacket. of the g inner cylinder and that of the surface offthe4 `hollowT piston E.

In some cases the secondaryl compressingjchamber F and its piston E- may be dispensed?- with, andthe spiral passages may be restricted'- tothe outerv cylinder; but If prefervr t'ofiinake:V compressing-'cylinders of the-'largerclassic'- the manner described, andillustrated'fiirSheets 2 and 3 of the drawings.

I claimv asfmy invention- 1. An air-'compressor 'inwhich anf nneriand'-V outer cylinder, both exposed to" coolingihflu'; ences, are combined-with areciprocatingannular piston adapted to thecompressingmhamber between the two cylinders, alllsubstantially as set forth. y

2. The' combination, in an air-compressor, of an innerand outer cylinder, each provided' with a jacket, the spacesv between each cylinder and its jacket being in communicationwith a supply of water undery pressure', andhaving suitable outlets, substantially' as de scribed.

3'. The combination of an annularcompressing-cylinder and its annular piston B, and thev central compression-chamber, F, and` pistonE with the system of inlet. andeutlet 'passages' andl automaticv valves herein dep-- scribed whereby the air, after bein g compressed. in the annular cylinder, is conveyed to the eenv tral cylinder, to be there furthercompressed, all substantially as set forth.`

4. The combination of the compressingchamber F, the piston E', und tubular pistenrod E with tubes and passages by which we. ter is introduced into and permitted to flow from the interior of the said piston, substantially as speeiiied.

5. The combination of the compressingchamber F, its piston, and tubular piston-rod with the cross-heed H and its passages, the pipes i i', and xed pipes-N N', the latter communicating with en inlet-tube, and the former with en outlet-tube, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing` Witnesses.

J. B. WARING.

Witnesses WM. J. COOPER, HARRY SMITH. 

